The Sky Rats: Francesca “Frankie” Cooke

Born 2 March 1907 in Richmond, England Frankie is the daughter of Sir Richard Cooke and his wife Gretchen, a Dutch settler from Java whom he met while on a hunting trip there. Sir Richard was renowned for his adventures as a big game hunter and explorer, and he dragged his family about the globe — usually leaving them in the nearest safe settlement while he went after his quarry. He was knighted for his work as a sniper for the British forces during the Second Boer War. He was killed in action in Flanders in 1916, having risen to the rank of brigadier.

Frankie was raised by her Uncle Timothy — a banker and the respectable one of the family — after her mother died of the Spanish flu in 1920; she nearly succumbed, as well. To help her recover, her uncle took her to South Africa. One day, a flying circus came through, and Frankie was captivated by the aerobatics of the American pilot. She was given her first airplane ride and in 1926 she gained her pilot’s license in England. Two years later, Amelia Earhart did her solo across the Atlantic, and Frankie parlayed this into a public relations deal with British Petroleum and other sponsors and was one of the first women to attempt to fly from London to Sydney in Australia. but for issues with her plane, she would have beaten Amy Johnson in this in 1930. Her plane lost power over the Sumatra and she was forced to crash land, losing her eye in the process.

Frankie has a taste for adventure, and has flown her various craft all over the world, often doing airways mapping and scouting for the BOAC, Imperial Airways, and other airlines, as well as more shady work for His Majesty’s Government. She recently landed in Shanghai, where she joined the Sky Rats as a Lieutenant.